The sound of thundering hooves and roaring crowds filled the Bonnyville rodeo grounds, as indian relay racing made its local debut.
Onlookers packed into the stands over the weekend (May 18-19), excited to watch the unique and adrenaline-filled Canadian Indian Relay Racing Association's (CIRRA) season opener hosted by Kehewin Cree Nation.
Kehewin councillor and local organizer Ben Badger described it as a fast-growing, extreme sport in Canada.
"There are teams of racers that come out and put their blood, sweat, and tears on the track to entertain."
CIRRA started three years ago, and has grown to include roughly 30 teams competing at 12 events in Alberta and Saskatchewan from May until the end of August.
Indian relay racing sees teams of four competing for the fastest time. The riders, known as warriors, jump onto the thoroughbreds bareback and run three laps of the track. After completing each lap, the warrior must exchange horses. The mugger, or catcher, waits to hold the horse the warrior gets off of, while the two holders keep the fresh horses out of the way and ready for the transition.
Adding to the excitement, this was also the first year Kehewin Cree Nation has entered a team in CIRRA.
"(The first race) went better than I expected; I didn't fall," said Tyree Badger, who was the warrior for team. "I wasn't expecting to come in first, but I did alright."
Joining Tyree was Nathan King as the holder and Owen Chickeness as the back holder.
Encouraged by the loud cheers from his hometown fans, Tyree was pleased to be able to introduce the sport to the area and represent Kehewin.
To encourage unity amongst the involved communities, the weekend started off with a Treaty Six flag raising ceremony at Bonnyville town hall. Representatives from the town and nation, as well as visiting dignitaries, were on hand to welcome racers to the area and signify their partnership.
"If we're working together, we can communicate to get things done," stressed Kehewin Cree Nation Chief Vernon Watchmaker, noting it's important to show younger generations the two communities can come together.
"They (children) are actually watching us. It might not look like they're paying attention, but they're listening. When they start growing up, they'll start (seeing) how our relationship is, or will be, moving forward."
In the future, town council will add the Treaty Six flag to their chambers "so that in our deliberations moving forward, we will always consider and recognize that we're also on the Treaty Six lands, because that's important to us moving forward," explained Mayor Gene Sobolewski.
Badger added, "We want our people to be able to come together, and that was the intent of us working to have this big event."
The event was also a chance to put the Lakeland on the map. Teams came from as far away as the United States, as well as Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Competitors from Team Carlson made the trek up from Montana, U.S. to Bonnyville.
"It's good to see it (indian relay racing) this far up," noted team owner Erwin Carlson. "Relay is really catching here in Canada. It just took off and there are a lot of races, a lot of teams that are coming up. It's a really good thing."
Ahead of the relays both days, attendees had a chance to take in the warrior ladies, chiefs, little braves, and warrior races.
Watchmaker was ecstatic Kehewin had the opportunity to host CIRRA, and hopes the event sparked an interest for people to get reconnected.
"It felt great that we hosted the opening event and they (the teams) have many places where they're going to be going, especially in the United States... It was very exciting, and we were happy to host the event."
The 2019 CIRRA opening weekend champions were Team Carlson, who took home a purse of just under $5,000.
CIRRA will also be hosting events in Saddle Lake, Strathmore, and Piikani Nation, along with their championships in Calgary at the end of August.
